Last Updated on 22/08/2024
This page under review following a review of the Thesis Preparation Assignment (TPA) with updates to the page due in September 2024.
Formal Assessment
Broad skills assignments
Trainees may take THREE attempts at these assignments
Self-Assessment Exercise (SAE)
This assignment comprises four elements:
- Initial Self appraisal – written report (maximum of 500 words).
- Formative evaluative exercises. Trainees will engage in a series of formative exercises over approximately the first 55 days of training to enable them to self-assess their knowledge and skills effectively.
- Report on outcome of self-assessment process (maximum of 1,000 words).
- Self-assessment viva. This is a formal, structured meeting of up to 40 minutes duration between the trainee and two markers where the above documents are discussed. The outcome of the assignment is determined by performance in this meeting.
Thesis Preparation Assignment (TPA)
The assignment comprises two mains sections.
- A literature review (maximum 4,500 words) examining the published research, theoretical literature and clinical and policy guidelines on the topic which the trainee intends to research for their DClinPsy thesis.
- A Research Proposal (maximum 1,500 words).
These sections are submitted separately, and both must be submitted for the assignment to be passed. However, only the literature review section is formally assessed.
Placement Assignment – Service Evaluation (PASE)
This assignment is assessed via a report (maximum 3,000 words) of service evaluation activity that the trainee has conducted whilst on practice placement. Trainees from the 2020 cohorts and earlier must complete one of these assignments during core practice placement #2, #3 or #4 (the one for which a PALS assignment is not being submitted). Trainees from the 2021 cohort onward complete and submit the PASE assignments during their second practice placement.
Live skills assignments
Trainees may take TWO attempts at these assignments
Placement Assignment – Live Skills (PALS) (#1, #2, and #3)
These assignments each focus on a piece of clinical work that the trainee has conducted whilst on practice placement. Trainees must complete three PALS assignments during their practice placements. These assignments are independent of each other and use the same marking criteria but are assessed at progressively higher standards. They must be passed in sequence (trainees must pass a PALS assignment at each level before submitting one at the next level) Each assignment comprises the following:
- A 30 minute excerpt of a recording of the trainee’s clinical activity, and
- A report relating to the same piece of clinical work comprising
- An outline of the work undertaken,
- A transcription (not included in the word count) and commentary on two 5 minute sections of the recording, and
- A critical appraisal of the work undertaken.
The maximum word count for each of these three sections is 1,500 words. Overall word count is 4,500.
Service Improvement Poster Presentation (SIPP)
This assignment comprises four elements:
- Group work: trainees will work collaboratively in groups during their project block to develop a service improvement proposal. During the group work trainees will record and submit six, 30 minute videos of themselves engaged in service development tasks
- Project poster: trainees will produce a poster summary of their project
- Presentation and communication skills: trainees will deliver a presentation of their project, and respond to marker questions
- Service development summary: Each group of trainees will submit an easy-read’ summary (up to 500 words) of their project work.
- Reflective summary: Each trainee will submit a summary (up to 500 words) of their reflections on their contributions to the SIPP and their learning from the experience.
All trainees must undertake a formative ‘SIPP’ experience prior to undertaking the summative assessment. This allows trainees to familiarise themselves with the aims and methods used in the assignment and to obtain formative feedback on their interaction and influencing skills, which are the focus of the assessment.
Guide to assignment submission timings
2018-2020 cohorts
Full time pathway
| Year | Month | Submissions |
| One | December | The self-assessment exercise () |
| March | Thesis Preparation Assignment () | |
| May | PALS #1 | |
| From June | Thesis proposal | |
| Two | November | PASE or PALS #2 |
| April | PASE or PALS #2 or #3 Service Improvement Poster Presentation |
|
| Three | October | PASE or PALS #3 |
| March | Thesis submission | |
Part time pathway
| Year | Month | Submissions |
| One | ||
| Two | December | The self-assessment exercise (first viva) |
| Aug | PALS #1 | |
| March | Thesis Preparation Assignment | |
| May | PASE or PALS #2 | |
| Three
|
Jan | PASE or PALS #2 or #3 |
| Apr | Service Improvement Poster Presentation | |
| Nov | PASE or PALS #3 | |
| Four | ||
| July | Thesis submission |
2021 cohort
Full time pathway
| Year | Month | Submissions |
| One | December | The self-assessment exercise () |
| March | Thesis Preparation Assignment | |
| May | Thesis Proposal | |
| June | PALS #1 | |
| June | Thesis proposal | |
| Two | September | PALS #2 |
| December | Service Improvement Poster Presentation | |
| August | PASE | |
| Three | October | PALS #3 |
| March | Thesis submission |
Part time pathway
| Year | Month | Submissions |
| One | December | The self-assessment exercise |
| Two | Sep | PALS #1 |
| March | Thesis Preparation Assignment | |
| Jan | PALS #2 | |
| May | Thesis Proposal | |
| Jun | Service Improvement Poster Presentation | |
|
Three
|
Mar | PASE |
| June | PALS #3 | |
| Four | July | Thesis submission |
Complementary Tasks
While not formally examined in the way the assignments above are, there are other tasks which we would expect to be completed before the doctorate can be awarded. These are:
- Take part in one formative Standardised Role Play Simulation near the beginning of training
- Presentation to colleagues, programme staff and other stakeholders on third year placement activity
- Give a presentation to colleagues relating to their third year leadership teaching
All these presentation dates are indicated in the annual plan/teaching schedules and trainees should be aware that if they are unable to attend the scheduled dates, alternative dates will be arranged.
Useful documents
Self-Assessment Exercise (SAE)
Thesis Preparation Assignment (TPA)
Placement Assignment – Live Skills (PALS)
Placement Assignment – Service Evaluation (PASE)
Service Improvement Poster Presentation (SIPP)
DClinPsy Assessment Domain List
Formal Assessment
In terms of academic assignments, trainees must submit/complete all of the following:
For trainees in 2015, 2016 and 2017 cohorts:
- Placement Portfolio (DACS-PP1&2) comprising of two sets of the following submitted across the first 4 placements of the programme:
- 2 Assessment and Action Plan reports which are based on clinical activity – AAP 1 & 2 are 2000 words, AAP 3 & 4 are 2750 words (with an additional allowance of 300 words for a context paragraph which means the total word count cannot exceed 3050 words)
- 1 Recording of Clinical Activity: 30 minute excerpt
- 1 Clinical Recording Report (based on the submitted recording of clinical activity): Transcription (not included in the word count) and commentary on two 5 minute sections up to 2000 words, an introductory/context section of up to 500 words, and a reflective element up to 1500 words. In total (excluding the transcript commentary) the report is 4000 words
- Roleplay (DACS-SRPS) comprising of an assessed roleplay performance, taking place toward the latter part of the first year of training.
- Professional Issues Assignment: 2,500 word essay relating to one or more professional practice issues. It is submitted in the first few months of training.
- Systematic Literature Review (SLR): a 6,000 word systematic review of either quantitative or qualitative studies, submitted in the summer of the first year (for the 2015 cohort) or winter of the second year (for the 2016 cohort onwards).
- Service-Related Project (SRP): a 6,000 word report of research conducted in a service setting, submitted around half way through training.
For trainees in cohorts 2014 and earlier:
- Placement Presentation and Report (PPR): two 7,000 word reports of a piece of clinical work/activity comprising of:
- 2 Initial Reports – 1500 word report based on a communication from clinical placement (4 must be submitted, but only two are examined)
- 2 Presentations – 15 minutes based on piece of work from placement
- 2 Discussions with examiners based on presentation material
- 2 Main Reports – 5500 words based on work from placement
- Roleplay (DACS-SRPS): see above (for 2014 cohort only, earlier cohorts do not undertake this assignment)
- Professional Issues Assignment: see above but with addition of PIA 2, an essay of the same word length submitted towards the latter part of the second year of training.
- Systematic Literature Review: see above
- Service-Related Project: a 12,000 word report of research conducted in a service setting
Complementary Tasks
While not formally examined in the way the assignments above are, there are other tasks which we would expect to be completed before the doctorate can be awarded. These are:
- Take part in one formative Standardised Role Play Simulation near the beginning of training (2014 cohort onwards)
- Presentation of initial SRP idea to a peer group
- Presentation of completed SRP to colleagues, programme staff and other stakeholders
- Presentation of completed first Professional Issues Assignment to colleagues and programme staff
- Presentation of the thesis to colleagues, programme staff and other stakeholders
- Presentation to colleagues, programme staff and other stakeholders on third year placement activity
- PDR presentation to colleagues
All these presentation dates are indicated in the annual plan and trainees should be aware that if they are unable to attend the scheduled dates, alternative dates will be arranged.
Standard assignment submission schedules
| Year 1 | |
|---|---|
| Professional Issues Assignment | February |
| DACS-PP1 Assessment and Action Plan 1 (Child) | May |
| DACS – Standardised Role Play Simulation | July |
| DACS-PP1 Assessment and Action Plan 2 (Adult) | September |
| Year 2 | |
|---|---|
| DACS-PP1 Clinical Recording 1 and Clinical Recording Report 1 | October |
| Systematic Literature Review | December |
| Service Related Project | February |
| DACS-PP2 Assessment and Action Plan 3 (Older Adult/Neuro/Health) | May |
| DACS-PP2 Assessment and Action Plan 4 (LD) | September |
| Year 3 | |
|---|---|
| DACS-PP2 – Clinical Recording 2 and Clinical Recording Report 2 | October |
| Thesis | May |